NATO, which was at loggerheads with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis, still strives for ‘a more cooperative and constructive relationship’ with Moscow in the fight against terror, the block’s chief said after Wednesday’s deadly attack in Paris.

"It is important that Russia – which is our biggest neighbor
in Europe – and NATO are able to work together on important
issues, like for instance, fighting terror,” Jens
Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, stated during his visit to the Bavarian town of
Kreuth.

“Terrorism is a threat and a problem for many countries,
including Russia. And that’s the reason why we still strive for a
more cooperative and constructive relationship with Russia,”
added the NATO head.

He also labeled the killing of 12 people by Islamist gunmen at
the French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, as “an attack
on the free press, on free opinion and on our open
societies.”

The NATO head’s statement comes months after the Alliance
announced the suspension of all "practical civilian and
military cooperation" with the Russian side in April last
year.

The move was explained by Russia’s reunion with the republic of
Crimea in March 2014 and Moscow’s alleged involvement in the
military conflict in southeastern Ukraine.

In May, NATO Deputy Secretary General Aleksander Vershbow said
the block had to start treating Russia “as more of an
adversary than a partner.”

During his speech at the UN, Barack Obama, the president of the
US, which is NATO’s leading member, labeled Russia as the second
largest international threat – behind Ebola, but ahead of the
jihadist Islamic State.